ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS TRAINING
Introduction
EHR is an electronic system that stores information on patients. Though the system is expensive, it comes with a cost savings benefit. To effectively adapt the system, the hospital must provide an advanced but not too early training, prepare the staff psychologically, offer a variety of training sessions, and encourage specialization of the staff according to their area of expertise. EHR requires intensive training; a training plan should be prepared to ensure that all the nurses, physicians, and staff, both the current and future, have sufficient knowledge and skills before launching the program. The training should consider the organization’s strategic plan, goals, objectives, the learning styles and competence level of trainees, and the risks associated with the process (Green, 2018). The whole process should be in line with the organization’s technological strategy.
Staff categorizing in EHR training
The categorizing process should be based on the staff’s input on the process’s aim and entail members from all the departments available in the hospital. The input process of people from the cardiology department is different from those in radiology; hence the training should train these diverse experts in a non-confusing way. Categorizing people, while considering their skills, will reduce misunderstandings and promote consultation. The skills of the staff also will determine which category to be placed. If a person is computer illiterate, he should be placed in a group requiring the training from learning how to use a computer first. When placed under a training program that allows them to progress, users become well-informed users of EHR. Training should be based on what the staff requires to know. The EHR training categorizing should involve only people who need to understand that certain processes to save on costs and time.
Methods used in training of clinical officers
Different methods can be applied in the training of the EHR system. The method depends on the type of organization and the culture of the organization. The four major techniques include hands-on, computer-based training, self-directed learning modules, and job shadowing. Hands–on is a controlled environment learning technique (Sisson, 2001). The participants work within the training system they are learning. Computer–based training: this is primarily important when handling computers of software training. Real-time learning is enhanced as learning is based on the case. It is important when introducing a new software system.
Self–directed learning modules: though the method is not majorly used by many organizations when implementing EHR, the method entails getting handouts that enhance learning outside the classroom. According to Borycki (2009), a web portal created by researchers at the University of Victoria for their EHR implementation promotes the learning process outside the training environment. Job shadowing: Healthfield (2015) explains that “job shadowing allows the observer to see and understand the nuisance of a particular job.” the method is essential in training new employees and training on different jobs within one company.
Training curriculum for clinical and office staff
Effective training involves following a systematic step to step process. Processes that standalone tend to fail a lot. In selecting a good curriculum for the training of EHR, the process should be able to meet all the intended needs, meet the organization’s objectives, entail the training initiatives, and evaluate the learning process for training requires assessment. Selecting the right curriculum entails integrating organization goals regarding EHR use and areas that could mitigate the process’s effectiveness. When designing the curriculum, enough research should be done to outline an effective training procedure. The curriculum should be able to address the needs of the hospital. The following curriculum has been greatly applied in the training of EHR.
An enhanced training curriculum:
Information about patients is vital; hence, to ensure that the training covers everything, the plan should be prepared, and an educating plan is a curriculum. If a training program is not well organized to meet adults’ required standards, then the process will be a failure. Learners who are adults are objective oriented and like solving problems majorly preferring to be involved in decisions affecting them actively. The enhanced educational curriculum is executed in three phases; the first phase entails demonstrations, live practices, and order set reviews. As illustrated by Stroup et al. (2017), in the second phase, “the trainer applies skilled oriented assignments, role playing and medication entry processes for the efficient understroke-playing third phase is shadowing, scribing histories supervising order entries. The third stage allows the staff members to apply what they have been trained under supervision to check the learning process’s efficiency. If there is an issue, it is identified and solved.
For clinical staff, the curriculum will constitute the following information.
The major beneficiaries of this process, besides the patients, are the health physicians. The physicians record the patient’s medical history in the system, which makes it easier to retrieve. The process of input requires thorough training with the use of a well-articulated curriculum. The curriculum should ensure all the required elements have been well covered. When training the clinicians, the curriculum should offer training on where and how to fill up information concerning medical allergies, laboratory and radiology results, vital signs, nurse assessments, patient physical history, and physical orders. The information recorded by clinicians is important; hence the training process should ensure that all the vital aspects have been covered.
For office staff, the training will constitute the following data aspects.
The office handles the office functions, such as an accounting that does not directly relate to medicine but essential in a hospital. The EHR training curriculum should ensure that the office staff knows how to incorporate data into the system. Organizations prefer using one system for all its functions to avoid confusion. Since the system applied in heath care centers is majorly EHR; hence, it should accommodate billing activities; the employees should be able to fill in insurance information of the patient in the system. The patient’s demographic area should also be filled well. All these processes to be filled in the system by employees, training should be conducted. Only by training on how to use the system and filling the required areas can the system be deemed successful.
References
Borycki, E. M., Armstrong, B., & Kushniruk, A. W. (2009). From prototype to production: Lessons learned from the evolution of an EHR educational portal. In AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings (Vol. 2009, p. 55). American Medical Informatics Association.
Green, J. (2018, August 16). 5 important areas of EHR training during implementation. Retrieved from https://www.ehrinpractice.com/five-areas-ehr-training-implementation-236.html
Heathfield, S., 2015. Job shadowing is an effective on-the-job training [Website]. Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/training/g/job-shadowing.htm
Sisson, G. R. (2001). Hands-on training: A simple and effective method for on the job training. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Stroup, K., Sanders, B., Bernstein, B., Scherzer, L., & Pachter, L. (2017). A new EHR training curriculum and assessment for pediatric residents. Applied Clinical Informatics, 08(04), 0994-1002. doi:10.4338/aci-2017-06-ra-0091